If Only the Dead Could Talk
by rooster dawn
Summary: Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac’s daughter at Annapolis with interesting results. Author’s note: This is a continuing saga of an “A Special Child” Mac’s daughter, given up at birt
1. Chapter 1

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

Peter

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part one

1258 hours

Wednesday

28 Sept 2005

Naval Academy

Tory was running late for class. She had spilled some food or drink on her uniform at lunch and had to go back to her barracks to change. It would be cutting it pretty close under normal situations, but going back to her room to change wasn't going to help.

Fortunately for her she realized her accident early during her meal so she was able to cut her lunch short. It hadn't taken her very long to get back to her room to change, but unfortunately her roommate was there. She had the stomach flu so she was in the room resting.

She hadn't had any visitors all day so when Tory showed up she wanted to talk. Tory had to give her a quick synopsis of what happen in classes today, but she didn't have time and needed to get going. Her roommate whimpered in disappointment that she had to leave.

Her talk with her roommate put her further behind schedule. She would have to double time it to class if she wanted to make it on time. Double time wasn't exactly her idea of fun. She hated to get sweaty for no apparent reason.

It was bad enough when she had to exercise or do drills for hours on end, but to run and get dirty and sweaty for no reason didn't sit well with her.

She was almost to the building where her class was being held. She turned a corner and ran into what felt like to her a brick wall. But there shouldn't have been a brick wall there, at least not in the middle of a sidewalk.

She fell hard to the ground with her books flying everywhere. She heard something or someone groaned and then laugh at her expense or so she imagined. She let out a few choice Marine curses she had once heard her mother use.

This once again brought out the sound of laughter. She looked up to see a giant of a man standing there towering over her. He leaned over and held out a huge hand to help her up. She recognized him as a second year cadet.

She knew she should take the proffered hand or risk hearing him reprimand her, something she didn't need at this time. She reached up her smaller hand, which he took. He easily pulled her to her feet as though she weighed a feather.

"Sorry Sir, I guess I wasn't looking where I was going. I need to gather my things and get to class, I don't want to be late Sir." cried out Tory as she stood at attention.

"You look like someone I know Plebe. What's your name?" the stranger asked her.

God, I don't need this right now. Didn't he hear me? I'm going to be late. Though she had to admit he looked familiar to her too.

"Plebe Victoria Sullivan Sir." she replied. "Sir, I really need to get going. I have two minute fifteen seconds to get to class."

"I know, you look like my mother." the stranger continued.

"Sir!" she pleaded. "If you let me go now, I'll meet you later if you want to talk."

He had wanted to teach her a lesson about running. In this case running to avoid being late. If she was more disciplined she would have left enough time from wherever she was coming from and would have had ample time to get to class.

But he was having second thoughts about making her late. He wanted to see her again. He needed to find out who she was. Why did she look like his mother? He didn't have any sisters. He needed answers.

"Okay Plebe, I'm going to let you go this time, but I want to see you here Saturday morning 0900 hours. You better not be late Plebe." the stranger relented.

"Yes Sir." she replied.

She quickly gathered up her books with the stranger's help. She quickly moved into the building. She made it to her class with five seconds to spare.

The stranger walked back to his room for second year cadets. He began to think about meeting Victoria Saturday morning. A meeting he was looking forward to. She was beautiful. She reminded him of his mother.

It was times like this that he missed her the most. It had been nine years since she died. His grandparents never did tell him how she died. He knew it had been a tragic death. Some day he would find out how.

Saturday

0900 hours

1 Oct 2005

Naval Academy

A few days later Tory quickly made her way to the academic building after eating a healthy breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes with a large cup of coffee. It was something that she learned from her mother that breakfast was essential. It would get you through a long day.

She was apprehensive about meeting with the stranger she had met a couple of days ago. She didn't know who he was. She didn't know if he could be trusted. She had heard about upper classmen taking advantage of plebes, though they were in the Air Force, not the Navy.

But then again she was also interested in seeing him again. At the time he reminded her of someone. She didn't know whom, but he did look very familiar. After sleeping on it a couple of nights, she finally realized he looked like Harm, her new father.

The thought kind of excited her. She had thought her mom was the luckiest woman in the world to have Harm as her husband. He was perfect in every way. This guy looked very similar to Harm.

If she didn't know better, he could be his son. She like the idea of getting to know him better, maybe in the future they could become good friends. They couldn't right now. He was an upper classman and she was a lowly plebe.

The thought of a long term relationship with him intrigue her. If he was anything like Harm, she would be very lucky. He was so tall and good looking. His eyes were so blue. She had begun to dream about him every night.

She was so caught up with her reflection of the past few days that she wasn't aware of his approached. He reached over and tapped her on her shoulder when he reached her. She looked up in surprise to see him there.

"Are you day dreaming plebe?" he asked her. She probably wished she had gone anywhere but the academy.

"I was lost in thought Sir. I was suppose to meet someone here at 0900 hours, he's five minutes late Sir." she replied. She didn't want to tell him that she was dreaming of him.

The stranger looked at his watch. It was 0905 hours. He wondered how she knew the time. Her hands were in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. She hadn't looked at her watch. In fact she wasn't even wearing a watch.

"How do you know that I'm late Plebe? You're not wearing a watch." he asked her.

"I just do Sir. It's a gift." she smiled.

Not many people were astute enough to realize her talent at first. When they did they usually were in awe. They would ask her how, but she wouldn't tell them. Mainly because she really didn't know herself.

"Alright Plebe. Since it's Saturday and we're out of uniform, you can call me Henry instead of Sir. What name do you like to go by Miss Sullivan?" he asked.

He knew her name was Victoria. How could he ever forget. She was very beautiful and her name said the same. He also knew that there were many nicknames for Victoria. Vicky, Tory, and Rory came to mind.

He was amused by the look on her face. Why she looked surprised he didn't know, but he like being able to surprise her. It meant there were endless ways to impress her, to show her how much he cared for her.

Tory was surprise that the stranger remembered her name. She was after all only a lowly plebe. Maybe he was more intelligent than he look. Just maybe there was a possibility or more. A thought she liked.

"My friends call me Tory, Henry." she replied with a smile.

"Let's take a walk to the marina Tory. We can talk as we go." he replied with a smile.

He couldn't believe the beautiful smile she gave him. It was truly amazing. It was like she lit up the sky. She was so beautiful. He had to find out more about her. Where was she born? Where did she live? Why was she here? What were her interests?

He had to find out why she looked so much like his mother. There was always the possibility that she was his sister, but if she was, why would his mother have given her up?

From what he understood about women, which wasn't very much, most women wanted girls more than they wanted boys. That's not to say they didn't want boys, only that they identified with little girls more.

There was also the possibility that since she was a single mother, she wouldn't be able to raise two children by herself. Which was possible, but then again he had lived with his grandparents all his life except for a few months when his mother was stationed stateside.

Which meant that she probably would have kept another child if she had another one. His grandparents would have helped her out. To them there were never enough grandchildren. That left the possibility of maybe one of his uncles or aunts.

But he had to rule that possibility out too. None of them looked like his mother. In fact now that he remembered. His grandfather had told him that his mother had been adopted as a baby. They had wanted a girl. She was the youngest member of the family, a good ten years younger.

He didn't have an answer. All he could do he thought was to carefully ask Tory about her parentage. Maybe he would get some kind of clue as to why she looked like his mother.


	2. Chapter 2

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

Peter

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part two

"So tell me about yourself Tory." he began as they walked towards the marina.

"What would you like to know Henry?" she asked. She sighed to herself. He must like me, why else would he want to know about me.

"I don't know, where were you born? Where do you live? You know, things like that." he replied.

"I was born outside Phoenix, Arizona. My birth mother gave me up at birth, but remained in contact with me through most of my life as a distant aunt. I saw her once or twice a year when she was in the states.

She was in college when she had me. She said she was too young and too poor at the time to keep me. She was battling a lot of problems of her own at that time to be a good mother.

When I was thirteen I began to notice I looked a lot like my aunt. I asked my mother why I looked so much like my aunt and nothing like her. She finally told me that my aunt was my real mother, that is my birth mother.

I lived with my adopted mother until I was sixteen. Then I decided I wanted to live with my birth mother. I wanted to get to know her before I went away to college. She's a lawyer in the Marine Corp.

Two years ago she married a man whom I consider to be my real father now. He's in the Navy. He's a lawyer too. He used to be a naval aviator. He's taught me how to fly in his biplane. We would go flying once a month when the weather was good.

He's the reason why I chose to attend the Naval Academy. I want to become a pilot like he was, though my mother is totally against it. She said she gets sick every time she ever flew in a jet," she sighed.

"They live outside Washington DC. They just had a baby boy six months ago name Tommy Frank."

"Wow! That's quite a tale Tory. I want to be a pilot too. From the limited information I have about my own father, he was a navy pilot too. But I've never had the opportunity to meet him.

He and my mom were never married, but they were academy sweethearts. She got pregnant with me the last month they were together. She didn't see him very often after that, but they did keep in touch over the years.

My mother was adopted, but I don't think she ever found out who her birth mother was. I don't even think she wanted to know. She was happy with the parents she had.

My grandmother told me a few years ago that my mother was going to talk to my father after her last cruise. Unfortunately she was killed before she had the chance to talk with him.

It's my understanding that they were going to spend the week together to discuss their future. They were talking about getting married." he moaned.

"I'm sorry Henry. It must have been really hard for you." she felt sadness for him.

"It was a long time ago Tory, nine years ago now. I felt the loss at the time, but then again it wasn't so bad. With her being in the Navy, she was gone a lot of the time. I just imagine now that she's on a long cruise. It's a way to keep her alive in my heart." he explained.

"My new dad was in the academy, class of 86." she offered.

Henry looked liked Harm. If his mother and Harm were at the academy at the same time, it was possible that Henry was Harm's son. How else could one explain why Henry looked so much like Harm. She needed to know.

In such a short period of time she knew Henry was a wonderful guy. He deserved to know who his father was just like she deserved to know Mac, her mother. And if Henry was Harm's son, then he deserved to know he had a son too.

"Interesting, my mother and father were in the class of 86." he replied.

They continued their walk to the marina talking about flying. They were both so excited about the prospect of flying for the Navy.

For Tory it was a more recent dream borne out of her love of flying in Harm's biplane. She had also come to love him as though he was here real dad.

For Henry flying had been a life long dream. It was his only connection to his father that he knew of. He imagined that some day he would find him on an aircraft carrier. Maybe he would still be flying.

Maybe he would be the CAG. Maybe he would be running the ship. It didn't matter what he would be doing because he would know him because he would look like him.

Henry had a surprise for Tory when they reached the marina. He had arranged to take a sailboat out for the day. He thought it would be a nice way to get to know her better. He thought it would be a new experience for her.

"I've arranged for us to go sailing today, that is if you don't mind." he informed her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Henry. I love sailing. My father likes to take my mother and me sailing during the summer. It's a great activity to do together. Thank you Henry." she replied cheerfully.

"I was hoping to expose you to a new experience Tory. I wanted to share with you something I've loved to do since I was a small boy." he pouted.

"It will be a new experience Henry. All my previous sailing experiences were family outings on a much larger sailboat. This experience will be entirely different. Beside the fact that the sailboat is much smaller,

you're sharing with me a part of who you are. You're sharing with me something you love, something you have a passion for. It makes me feel special." she replied trying to make Henry see that she truly appreciated his efforts.

She only hoped she didn't make it sound too much like they were on a date. She didn't want him to feel self conscience about their time together.

They were spending time together as friends who were getting to know each other. They weren't dating. They weren't going to be lovers.

"Thank you I think." he looked at her a little weirdly.

"You're right about the idea that I wanted to share with you something I love to do. I also figured that you've been working hard trying to learn how to fit into the rigors of military life. I thought you deserved a break.

I thought you might appreciate a day of fun and relaxation. I packed a lunch for us. It's inside the boat. We can stop off at one of the islands later to eat lunch." he smiled nervously.

He was beginning to become aware that his totally innocent act of going sailing with her could be construe as a date by many. Though he argued to himself isn't that what dating is about, getting to know each other better.

Wednesday

23 Nov 2005

Rabb Residence

Victoria was able to go home for the long Thanksgiving weekend. She wanted to talk to her mother about Henry, but not openly. Even after two months he still occasionally mentioned to her that she looked like his mother.

She found this quite hard to believe. She looked like her mother, not his. And as far as she knew Mac didn't have any sisters or cousins, at least not in the states. Who knew if she had any in Iran.

She wanted to talk to her mother about whether or not anyone had ever told her mother that she looked like anyone else. It was too much of a coincidence that Harm graduated the same year from the academy as Henry's mother did.

Henry never knew his father, but he looked a lot like Harm. As far as she knew Harm didn't have any kids besides Tommy Frank who was born only last year. Was it possible that Henry's mother and Harm were involved back in their academy days.

She pulled the car into the driveway. Mac was sitting on the front porch with Tommy Frank. They seemed to be playing some kind of game. As she got out of the car and walked up the front walk, she heard Tommy Frank cry out with glee at her arrival.

He waved his two chubby little hands with excitement at seeing her. He tried to get down from Mac's lap to waddle over to her, but Mac hung on to him until Tory reached the porch. Tory bent over to pick him up when he reached her.

"How are you doing little man? Are you happy to see me? I'm happy to see you too Tommy." greeted Tory as she hugged him, kissed him, and finally tickled him.

He squirmed in her arms as he tried to get away. Mac took him from Tory and put him in the house and into his playpen. She then came back out onto the porch to sit with Tory.

"So how's my girl doing? Is the academy everything you hoped it would be? Have you met anyone?" asked Mac after she had given Tory a hug.

She had missed her little girl. She had gotten quite used to having her in her life everyday. Not seeing her everyday was hard after all this time.

"I'm doing fine Mom. I love it there. There are so many boys." she smiled.

She was hoping to get a reaction from Mac. She wasn't disappointed.

"You're not there to fantasize about boys Victoria, you're there to get an education." scolded Mac.

"You're the one who asked me if I met anyone Mom. I assumed that you meant boys. I did happen to meet one guy who seems to like me alot." she continued.

"Who is he? What is his name? How did you meet him Tory?" asked Mac. She saw the look Tory gave her when she mentioned the boy. It looked like she really cared for the boy.

"His name is Henry. He's a second year cadet. I ran into him one day when I was running late for class. It was like running into a brick wall." she replied.

Mac smiled as her girl told her about the boy. "Henry ... sounds like a strong name. You ran into him? Just how big a boy is he? You weren't hurt were you?" asked Mac.

"He's almost six foot six inches tall. He wants to be an aviator." she began to explain. She stopped when she heard Mac moan in resignation. History was beginning to repeat itself.

"What? ... You married an aviator. You know how much I love flying. It gives us something in common to talk about Mom. He's very good looking. I'm sure you will love him when you meet him." she argued.

"Harm doesn't fly very often any more. It actually kept us from getting together for a long time. Harm didn't want me to worry about him. ... Am I going to meet this man-child of yours?" Mac's interest was peaked.

"I was thinking about asking him to come here for a few days during the Christmas break, ... that is if it's alright with you Mom." replied Tory pleading with her eyes to say yes.

"You know your friends are always welcomed here sweetie. Though I have to wonder why he wouldn't be going home. Does he live far away?" asked Mac.

"I think he said he's from Pennsylvania. But he lives with his grandparents. His mother died about ten years ago. He doesn't know his father. I just want him to meet you and Dad." she explained.

Mac lit up with a smile. It amazed her how her girl accepted Harm into their lives. That Tory loved him as much as she did and that she considered him her father.

"Like I said before he wants to be an aviator. I thought he might get a kick out of meeting Dad and talking about what it's liked to be a pilot and living on an aircraft carrier." she continued.

"Well I'm sure Harm would be more than happy to talk to your young man about flying jets and anything else he might want to know. Why don't you go inside and get clean up for dinner." smiled Mac.

"Is Dad going to be home soon?" she asked Mac.

"He's been conducting an investigation on the Patrick Henry the last five days. He expects to get home late tonight." replied Mac.

Later that night Tory walked into the living room where there was a fire going in the fireplace. Mac was sitting there reading a book. Tory had two mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

It was a quiet time of night. An ideal time to talk about what was on her mind. She wanted to know if it was possible for Harm to have known Henry's mother. She also wanted to know if it was possible that his mother looked like her or her mother.

Harm and Mac had always kidded about how the other knew them better than they knew themselves. If anyone knew about Harm's time at the academy, it was her mother. Somehow it went back to the day they met.

"What's up sweetie?" asked Mac.

"How did you and Dad meet?" she asked.

"You know how Tory, I've told you the story a few times before." Mac replied wondering if it had something to do with Henry.

She had been attracted to Harm from the beginning, but was leery of getting too close to him. She had heard stories about pilots thinking they could bed anyone while they were wearing their dress whites and gold wings. All they had to do was smile and they got what they wanted.

"I know Mom, but I always like hearing the story. It's so romantic." she sighed.

"Well I don't know about romantic, but we did meet in a rose garden. He was stunned to see me. He was speechless, he couldn't move. He told me later that day I looked like his academy sweetheart.

She had been killed a few months before. It happen right before they were going to get together to discuss their future. I think he was going to ask her to marry him." replied Mac as she sighed.

Perfect thought Tory. She looked like Mom and was Dad's girlfriend. Mom's story is similar to Henry's. Just maybe Harm is Henry's father. I need some more information. Something to prove it or shed more light on the subject.

"Dad wouldn't happen to have a picture of her somewhere? I can't believe he knew someone who looked just like you before he met you." asked Tory. She realized she almost blew it, but recovered quickly.

"You know where the photo albums are. It's the navy blue one with the Naval Academy Class of eighty six written on it. Why don't you bring it over here and we can look through it together. I can identify most of the people in it.

"Okay Mom." she replied as she quickly moved into the family room and retrieved the album. She sat down next to Mac on the sofa.

They looked through the album for thirty minutes. Tory couldn't believe how young they all looked. Mac pointed out Diane as if she had to. Tory could see that Diane did indeed look like her mom. Which meant she look like her too.

There was an old photo of Mac in the album. She was of course a few years older than Diane and Tory. She couldn't believe that they all look that much alike. It was only the differences in their hairstyles and age that set them apart.

"Wow Mom! No wonder why Harm thought you were Diane. You could be twins." she declared.

"I was surprise too when Harm first showed me her picture a couple of years later. I had wondered if what he was telling me was true, though I kind of believed him.

He wouldn't have stood there speechless and looking into my eyes as though he was searching for my soul. I've always wondered if he saw her or me when he looked at me. But he always said he saw me, never Diane after the first time we met." Mac agreed.

"I think I understand why I would look like you and maybe look like a cousin if I had a cousin or an aunt, but to look like a total stranger, it just blows my mind away." commented a bewilder Tory.


	3. Chapter 3

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

rooster dawn

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part three

Saturday

17 Dec 2005

Naval Academy

Several weeks later Tory met up with Henry. It was of their twice monthly visits with each other. Tory wish it could be more often, but knew it wasn't possible right now. She was a lowly plebe, he was an upper classman.

Next year it would be better. They couldn't actually date, but they could spend time with each other, something she wanted very much. She was sure Henry wanted to spend more time with her too.

"How was your thanksgiving Tory? Did you feel like a human being again?" laughed Henry. Plebes were treated like sub-humans at the academy. They never seem to have enough time for themselves and everyone was always telling them what to do and think.

"Yeah, it was great. I saw my mom and baby brother when I got home. My step dad I didn't see until the next morning. My mom and I went through his old academy album. It was interesting to see how little things have changed around here.

I told my dad about you. I told him how much you want to become a pilot. His eyes lit up with excitement with the thoughts of a new generation of pilots coming out of the academy. He said the best pilots always came out of the academy.

He suggested anytime you want to talk about flying, he would be more than willing to spend time with you. He has flown just about every kind of jet there is at one time or another." smiled Tory.

"That would be great Tory. I would like that very much, thank you. It's kind of hard to talk with my grandparents. They're getting up there in years. My grandmother fears I could get killed and my grandfather seems to hate them.

Do you think he will come up here sometime to visit you?" he asked hoping that she could introduce him to her father.

"I'm sure at some point of time he and my mom will come up here to visit, but it won't be until much later next year. If you want, ... you can come home with me and stay over the Christmas break.

We have plenty of room and they would love to meet you. You can talk to him about flying. We can look through his academy photo album. He has pictures of your mother in there.

We could spend some time together without worrying about what everyone else may think." she tried to reason with him.

"I don't know Tory. It sounds very tempting, but I usually like to spend my free time with my grandparents. There's a reason why they don't like plebes spending time with upper classman." he argued.

"You could spend a few days with my family and then after Christmas go home to your family. Of course then again you might want to spend the whole time with me after you see what I have planned for you, that is if you have gumption to take a chance." teased Tory.

"Alright Tory, you win. I'll go home with you and meet your parents. I'll spend a few days with you, but I hope you realize that it doesn't make us a couple.

It doesn't make me your boyfriend and we're not looking for your parents' approval. And I reserve the right to leave at anytime after Christmas and go home to my grandparents. Do we understand each other Tory?" he insisted.

He was kind of dreading the whole idea. They didn't really know each other that well. They had only gotten together for a few hours twice a month over the past few months. They weren't dating.

He hoped she understood that. He hoped her parents didn't read too much into his visit. He was only indulging her by going home with her. Though he like the idea of meeting her father, a commander in the Navy and a former Tomcat fighter pilot.

He could learn a lot from him. He wondered what it was like to fly one. Was he made of the right stuff? Would he be able to handle all the negative g's?

He had heard stories of cadets dreaming all their lives to be fighter pilots only to lose their lunch the first time they flew, thus ruining any chance, their dreams, and their careers.

He was also dreading meeting a Marine Colonel and Navy Commander. They were important people. They were also lawyers, trained to extract vital information that people didn't want to give.

"Alright Henry, I'll meet you at 1500 hours in front of my residence next Thursday. Don't be late. We don't want to contend with the late afternoon traffic on the Beltway.

1700 hours Thursday

22 Dec 2005

Rabb/MacKenzie Estate

The day had arrived to go home. Tory was excited to be going home. This could be one of the best Christmases ever if what she believed to be true turned out to be true, that is Henry was Harm's son.

It would make him her stepbrother. It would make their relationship more confusing than it already was, but then again it would give them the excuse to spend more time together.

Since they weren't related it meant there was still the possibility of a future for them to be together, if that was what they decided they wanted.

Harm would be happy to have a son he didn't know and Henry would have the father he had wanted all his life. She didn't know about her mother. How would she feel about Harm having a son by another woman? She wasn't sure Mac would be alright about it.

Tory was waiting outside her barracks for Henry. She had a couple of bags with her. One contained her clothes and the other contained her shoes and presents for her family. It had been a tight fit, but she managed to get everything packed.

She saw a cobalt blue 96 corvette in mint condition driving down the street in her direction. She wondered if it was Henry. It wouldn't surprise her if it was him. He wanted to be a flyboy. Flyboys like to drive fast cars.

It was nice looking, better than Harm's red 69 corvette, but not as nice as Mac's red 99 corvette. She had had a blast driving them, especially on the highway. They weren't a bad touring car on the winding rural state highways either.

Maybe he would let her drive it some day. Though she doubt that would happen today on the trip home. It was only a hundred miles, easy enough for one person to drive without a break.

The cobalt blue corvette came to a stop in front of her. Henry got out of the car smiling at her. He was proud of his corvette. He was sure Tory would be impressed, but he was disappointed when Tory only yawned and said.

"You're late flyboy wantabee. Can't you ever be on time for anything. I thought the academy was suppose to teach you that. Isn't that the first thing you told me when I ran into you last September."

Henry looked at her disappointedly as she scolded him. It surely wasn't what he had expected, but then again he was always running late when he went to see her. And every time she had mentioned it to him.

For once though he had thought he would be on time. He still was disappointed that she wasn't impress with his car. It was beautiful, fast, and very powerful. A car made for a fighter pilot.

"I'm sorry Tory, I guess it took longer to get here than I thought. How do you like my car. It's a 96 cobalt blue corvette. It's in mint condition." he beamed with enthusiasm.

"I've seen better. Why do you have such an old car? It is after all 2005." she asked letting him know she wasn't impress with a fast car, particularly an old one.

"It's was supposed to be my mother's car. My grandfather bought it for her. It was suppose to be welcome home present, a possible wedding present. But like I told you before she was killed before she ever saw it.

My grandfather kept it stored away for me. It's to remind me of how special she was. I'll never forget her." he answered her hoping that she understood now.

"I'm sorry Henry, I didn't know. Harm, my father, has a red 69 corvette. It was the year his father was shot down in Viet Nam. It's one of his ways of remembering his father." she replied sadly.

After they packed her stuff in the back they stopped off to get a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts. It was a two hour trip and Tory wanted something to drink along the way. Like her mother, she was a coffee addict.

They made good time along the way. Fortunately traffic was light due to the early hour. They also had been lucky that the roads were clean. It hadn't snowed in two weeks. Any snow that they had received had melted.

Tory gave Henry the directions to her house as they enter Metropolitan DC. Henry was quite impress with the area. The neighborhoods were well landscaped and the lawns well manicured. The houses were large and well designed.

When they pulled into the driveway, Tommy Frank was running around the yard kicking a ball. Tory smiled at the sight. She saw her mother sitting on the front steps watching Tommy Frank play.

Mac had wondered who was in the car. She suspected it was Tory and her friend Henry. She was expecting them to arrive at any time. She remembered Tory saying something about Henry wanting to be a pilot.

Pilots liked fast cars and she ought to know, she was married to one. She watched as Tory was the first one to get out of the car. She hurried over to pick up Tommy Frank who had quickly approached the car when he saw her.

Mac always took great pride and satisfaction in how much Tory loved her little brother. She knew it couldn't be easy especially for Tory considering she now had to share her mother's love with someone else when she had missed out on it for sixteen years.

Then she saw the man she believed was Henry emerged from the car. He seemed to get out of the car like Harm. When he stood up beside the car she was amazed at how tall he was. He looked even taller than Harm.

Tory walked around the car holding Tommy Frank. She grabbed his hand and said "Come on Henry, she doesn't bite. Tommy might, but mom doesn't."

He looked at her warily. It was bad enough that he had to meet her mother, but she was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines. Marines weren't known to have a sense of humor. They were strict, by the book, no nonsense people.

He managed to free his hand from hers. He didn't want to give Tory's mother the wrong impression about their relationship. They were only friends who shared a common interest, flying.

Though some day he wouldn't mind having a woman like Tory. She was beautiful, strong, intelligent, and very sexy when she wanted to be.

Mac noticed Tory take Henry's hand and how quickly he freed his hand. She smiled at the gesture. It seemed there was something special between them that Henry wasn't about to acknowledge yet. It reminded her of how Harm was about their relationship.

"Mom, this is Henry. Henry, this is my mother Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, US Marine Corp." smiled Tory.

Mac reached out to shake his hand, but he stood there frozen in space and time. It was like deja vu for Mac. Harm had done the same thing the first time they met. Wow! She thought to herself. He definitely looks like Harm.

Finally Henry awaken from his stupor and shook her hand in greeting. "Good afternoon Colonel, I'm sorry for my poor manners. It's just ... you looked so much like my mother."

Mac could detect a hint of sadness in his voice. She understood why. His mother must have been Diane. She was well aware of how his mother died and who killed her. It made sense to her now why Tory had wanted to look at the photo album, why she asked about someone looking liked her.

"I do? And who may I ask is your mother?" she asked him.

Tory gave her a look of astonishment wondering how she could ask him such a question. But Mac thought it was best to get it out in the open. She had to know who Henry really was. Was he Harm's child? He sure as hell looked like Harm.

"My mother's name was Diane Shonke. My name is Henry Shonke, Ma'am. She's dead Ma'am." answered Henry sadly.

"So I have been told. Harm told me how your mother died shortly after I met him. He said she was a wonderful woman. A friend of mine, Bud Roberts knew her too.

Maybe he can come over sometime this weekend and tell you about her. He was a very good friend of hers. He used to e-mail her all the time. They use to play computer games over the internet." replied Mac solemnly.

She felt for him. She knew her death must have been difficult for him. It had affected Harm for years. She felt it was one of the things that had kept them apart for so many years.

"Thank you Ma'am. I would like that very much." he smiled.

"Henry, please call me Mac. When a young guy like you calls me Ma'am, it makes me feel old. And while you're here, there will be no use of military formality. Understood cadet." laughed Mac.

"Yes Mac." he replied with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

rooster dawn

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part four

"So is there anyone here interested in some Beltway Burgers, my treat?" asked Mac knowing Tory had an affinity for them as much as she did.

It wasn't that she was able to indulge in them like she used to. Harm always cooked a nice dinner for them. It wasn't often that they ate out and when they did it was usually some place special with a night of dancing afterwards.

"I'm up for a trip, what about you Henry? Are you up for the best burgers mankind has ever seen?" smiled Tory with a slight pleading look in her eyes.

"It has been a while since I've had a good cheeseburger. The mess hall idea of a burger is three ounces." moaned Henry.

"Not at Beltway burgers, the smallest one is eight ounces. Mom usually eats two. The largest one is a pound." teased Tory.

"It's been a very long time since I ate two little missy. Harm doesn't like me to eat too much beef. Besides it's getting a little harder to maintain my fighting weight since I had Tommy." replied Mac.

They all got into the family SUV and made their way to Beltway Burger. Mac ordered a double bacon cheeseburger, double fries, and a large coffee shake. Tory followed suit and ordered the same. Tommy got a small order of fries.

"Come on Henry, be a man, order two of the super size cheeseburgers. You're a big boy, you should have no problem eating them." taunted Tory.

"Okay I'll order two super size bacon cheeseburgers, a super size fries and a super size strawberry shake." replied Henry giving in to Tory's taunt.

"You want to split a third bacon cheeseburger Mom? I'm feeling pretty hungry tonight. The aroma in here is heavenly." smiled Tory.

"Okay honey, but you better not let Harm hear you say something like that, he'll flip out." replied Mac. It was good to have another meat eater around.

Henry watched in amazement as Mac and Tory quickly devoured their bacon cheeseburger before starting on the third. The fries were almost gone. Henry meanwhile was having difficulty getting the first one eaten.

He began to wonder if he would be able to eat the second on. He realized that their burgers were smaller, but still he should be able to eat more than twice what they ate easily. He was a growing boy afterall.

He always won every eating contest at the academy among his friends. This should be a slam dunk. He was halfway through the second burger when Tory began to tease him once again.

"What's the matter big boy? I thought you said you were hungry. I thought you said you like to eat burgers." laughed Tory.

Mac laughed along with her. She loved seeing her girl having so much fun with such a nice guy. She also thought it was interesting how some men thought they could do anything, not realizing how challenging some things really were.

"I usually eat four big Mac's when I go out with the guys. That's at most twenty four ounces, but these burgers are so much larger and they seem to more filling." he replied.

"That's because the hamburger they use here has been fortified to resemble a meatloaf like consistency. It makes it taste better and fills you up. It's a meat eater's dream." Mac informed Henry.

"Don't be afraid to ask for help Flyboy, I'm still hungry." smirked Tory.

Henry tore off half of what he had left and gave it to her. She scoffed it down quickly. Henry just shook his head in amazement. This girl could seriously eat. Her mother was pretty good herself and she still looked great.

"So when is the Commander coming home Mac?" asked Henry. He was looking forward to talking to him. He was in dire need of some serious male bonding right about now.

"Actually Harm is a Captain now he just got promoted last week. He's away on an investigation. He flew out to the Seahawk to investigate a mishap. He should be home Saturday.

Tory, when Harm got his promotion he also got another assignment. He's going to be in command of an unit in London. I'm going with him. We leave in three weeks." smiled Mac.

"I don't understand Mom. You said he got another assignment. What about you?" she asked.

"I'm reserving my commission. I don't want to be separated from him. I've waited too long to be with him to give him up. It's okay honey, Harm and I are trying to have another baby. I also want to spend more time with Tommy.

I'm ready to stay at home for awhile and take care of Tommy. If I get bored, I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do. You'll be able to spend the summer with us in London. You're loved it there." replied Mac.

0900 hours

Friday

23 Dec 2005

Rabb/MacKenzie Estate

The next morning while Henry was out for a run Mac thought it was a good time to talk to Tory about Henry. She needed to know the real reason Tory invited Henry to visit this Christmas.

She didn't think it was because they were just friends. Nor did she think it was about them being a couple or her dreaming about becoming a couple with Henry.

Though that might be a possibility some day in the future when they both were out of the academy, but not now. It must have something to do with Harm. Did she think Henry was his son? Did she think Henry was a son forgotten.

She had known Harm for nine years now. They had discussed his relationship with Diane on more than one occasion. Not once did he ever mention having a child with her. She didn't think it was something Harm would forget to tell her.

She had a feeling that both Henry and Harm were in for a big surprise tomorrow when Harm finally made it home tomorrow. She wondered who would be more shock, Harm or Henry.

She could prepare Henry for the possibility of meeting his father, that is Harm. Of course there isn't any proof that Harm is Henry's father, but the resemblance was too much to assume anything else.

Maybe she should sit down with him this afternoon with the photo album. It would give him some perspective of who Harm was in his mother's life. She felt like she was living an episode of the twilight zone.

"Morning sleepy head. Did you sleep well?" Mac asked Tory as she walked into the kitchen where Mac was sitting.

"Yeah, it was great to sleep in my own bed for once. I don't get to sleep past 0600 hours at the academy. Where's Henry? I didn't see him anywhere when I came down." answered Tory.

"He went out for a run. I think the two bacon cheeseburgers did him in last night. He seems to be a nice boy." replied Mac as she started the info gathering.

"He is Mom. But I don't get to spend much time with him because he's an upperclassman. We manage to see each other for a few hours every other week. I wish it could be more, he's fun to be with." she sighed.

"You're too young to be entertaining those thoughts in your head. You have three and a half years to go at the academy first. Then you'll have to go to one of the specialty schools for another six months to a year.

Don't get too fixated on one boy. He may never be ready to give you what you want. It takes a long time for flyboys to grow up and become a man, to accept responsibility for what a relationship brings to the table.

You've known Harm long enough to know that's true. He's actually one of the better ones. Besides sweetie, most men aren't ready or interested in settling down until they're in their mid to late twenties.

They want to experience life, establish their careers. The last thing on their minds is to get married. They're more interested in having fun." chastised Mac.

"Mom! I don't even know him that well. I just like spending time with him. We talk about how we grew up. He spent most of his time with his grandparents, seeing his mother when she was stateside, but not often enough.

She was out to sea a lot. He doesn't know who his father is. As much as I love my adopted mother and father, I never knew my real father either. I only knew you as the really nice lady who brought really nice gifts once or twice a year.

I feel that Henry and I are so much alike that way. But I have you in my life now, Henry doesn't have anyone." reasoned Tory.

"Is that why you quizzed me about looking like someone else and wanted to see the photo album? Is that why you invited him here for Christmas? You think he's Harm's son? I know he looks like Harm, but he may not be Harm's son. I don't want you or him to be disappointed." asked Mac.

"Do you think Harm is his father?" she asked.

"I think it's a good possibility sweetie. Diane is his mother. Harm and Diane were very good friends at the academy. But Harm was in love with Annie Pendry back in those days. She married one of Harm's best friends.

Harm even dated Annie after her husband died for six months. But in the end Annie wasn't ready to be with someone and Harm reminded her too much of her dead husband. She couldn't deal with the possibility of losing him too.

I do know Harm was going to get together with Diane the weekend she was killed. Whether or not they were ever involved sexually, I don't know. It's not something we ever talked about.

Before they could go on any further Henry walked through the door. He had run five miles and walked a half mile to cool down. He was ready for a shower. He was hungry too.

"Why don't you take a shower Henry. Tory will show you where the clean towels are. I'll cook some breakfast for everyone. Any requests?" ordered Mac.

"I'll have some pancakes Mom." chirped Tory.

"Pancakes sound fine to me Mac." replied Henry.

"Are you sure Henry? I can make you some eggs too." asked Mac.

"Yes Mac. After last night's meal I think a lighter breakfast is called for." he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

rooster dawn

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part five

1000 hours

Saturday

24 Dec 2005

Rabb/MacKenzie Estate

The next morning Mac was sitting in the kitchen with Tory. They had just finished cleaning the breakfast dishes and were taking a break. Mac wanted to talk to Tory about her plans for the day.

Harm had called last night telling her he would be back today sometime after lunch. Mac was undecided about whether it would be better to tell him they had a guest staying at the house or walking in to find him there.

She was leaning on having Tory taking Henry out for the day whether it was shopping or seeing an early movie. It would give her the chance to talk about Henry, sort of feel him out about the best way to tell him.

She figured she would first play up the daughter bringing home her boyfriend home to meet the parent angle as part of the saga. Then maybe mention that he was the son of one of his academy classmates.

She even thought she would subtly bring up Diane. How many years did he know her at the academy? How close were they? If he asked her why, she could say she was concerned about Tory and this boy. She didn't want her distracted during her time there.

She needed to tell him she invited Bud and Harriet over for dinner. She knew it was probably too much, but she thought it was best to do it before the holiday. It would make a nice gift for Henry to hear about his mother.

"Tory, do you think you can take Henry shopping or the movies? I want to talk to Harm about Henry before he meets him. I don't want him to be totally shock when he meets Henry for the first time." she pleaded.

"Are you going to tell him Henry is his son?" she asked curiously.

"No, but I'm going to try to set the mood for their first meeting. Sort of get him into the right frame of mind so to speak. We don't know for sure that Henry is his son. We're only assuming that he is." Mac replied.

"Mom, you know it has to be true. We've examined all the facts. They all point to the truth, that Henry is his son." she argued.

"Yes, but there is one fact we having established yet sweetie. We don't know if they were intimate back then. It goes against the Codes of Conduct for all the cadets. I'm sure you know that." Mac rebutted her argument.

"Come on Mom!" she whined.

"Victoria! Enough with the whining. I promise you we will have a definitive answer, though it won't be one hundred percent. They will have to do DNA test to confirm it. Now go and get Henry and take him out.

Bring him back by 1600 hours. The Roberts are coming over tonight. I want Harm and Henry to spend some time together before they arrive. Who knows, maybe Harm will take Henry to the Wall tonight and tell his father about his son." smiled Mac as she gave Tory a big hug.

1300 hours

Saturday

24 Dec 2005

Rabb/MacKenzie Estate

Harm was finally home. It had been a long trying week dealing with less than cooperative witnesses. He finally got all the answers he needed and was able to write a report that everyone could live with. The pilot was going to take a hit to his career, but he still had a career. He still would be able to fly.

He was glad to be home so he could sleep in his own bed. Of course having Mac there to share it was a bonus he would never get tired of. Bunks on board carriers were still too short for a man of his statue.

He was surprise to see a cobalt blue 96 corvette sitting in the driveway when he drove up the driveway. He didn't know anyone who drove one. He examined the exterior and then the interior. He whistled in admiration.

This baby was mint. It had less than fifteen thousand miles on it. It was times like this when he wished he had a new corvette. Sure he loved his old red 69 corvette, but it never had the lines or panache of the newer models. Next to the new models his looked like a hunk of cheap metal.

"I see you have found something new to love." smiled Mac as she came out the door and down the steps to greet him.

It's a pretty hot looking car Mac. It's in mint condition. Almost makes me want to trade mine in." he replied with a grin.

"I would have to say it looks nicer than that old clunker you drive." she teased.

"You wound me marine." he replied as he faked being shot.

"Still neither one of these measures up to mine. It still has the style and grace of a powerful beast. It's a true vision." she smiled with satisfaction.

He walked over to her and gave her a kiss and hug.

"It doesn't measure up though to its owner." he replied. "Who does the new corvette belong to?"

"A boy who's infatuated with Tory. I think she likes him as well." she replied coyly.

"When did she find time to find a boy? I couldn't breathe or think for myself until I was a fourth year cadet." he sighed in disbelief.

"She's a bit more gifted than you were Squid. Actually she was running late for a class. She ran right into him before she ended up on her six and her books went flying." she smiled.

"He must be a pretty big boy for that to happen. She's not exactly small herself especially when she's moving. When did all this happen?" he asked in amazement.

"Late September I think. She told us that story when she was here at Thanksgiving Harm. I thought you were listening. And yes, he is rather tall. I now understand how small I look when I'm standing next to you. I understand now why you always laughed or smirked when I said I could take you." she smiled.

"I think I'm going to have to have a talk with him. He's not there to date plebes." he snorted.

"Calm down Harm. They're not really dating. They just have a lot in common. They both love to sail and they both want to become pilots." she explained as she saw his eyes light up at the mention of pilots.

"He wants to become a pilot?" he asked.

"Yes Harmon, he comes from a family with a rich naval history. I think he will be a fourth generation pilot if he makes it." she smiled.

She knew it would all become very clear to him once he saw Henry and knew his name. But this conversation did open up an opportunity to gather some new info from him to shed more light on the topic.

"By the way since you mention dating, what was your relationship with Diane like at the academy? Were you just good friends or did you ever get intimate with her? You did say you were going to talk to her the weekend she died about getting married." she quizzed.

Harm blushed at the mention of sleeping with Diane. Of all the things he and Mac had talked about concerning Diane, that subject had never been approached. He was wondering why it was finally coming up now.

"Why do you want to know Mac?" he asked.

"Because it will be a subject of conversation tonight Harm, I can guarantee you that. Henry, that's the boy's name by the way, is the son of someone you attended the academy with. Bud happened to know his mother back in the day before he came to Jag.

He and Harriet are coming over for dinner tonight. And you know Bud will slip up and talk about shipboard romances. If he doesn't then Harriet most certainly will. I just want you to be prepared to talk about the subject. Did you Harmon?" she explained.

"God Mac, that was so many years ago, I don't understand why anyone would want to know." he whined.

"Just answer the question Harm. If you don't tell me now, Tory will ask you tonight." she ordered him.

"Why would she want to know?" he asked in fear.

"Because she knows you were friends with Diane. She's been told she looks like her. Besides it will be hard for you to tell her not to when you've done it yourself." she answered.

Harm was target fixated. He was so focus on telling Mac whether or not he slept with Diane that he hadn't drawn the conclusion that this somehow involved Henry. That Henry was Diane's son. That Henry would be old enough to be his son since he was with Diane at the time.

He sighed before finally answering. "No I didn't sleep with her until the last semester. I didn't want any unneeded distractions at the time. When the realization that we were going to be going our separate ways hit us, we became intimate the last couple of months."


	6. Chapter 6

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

rooster dawn

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

Author's note: The double posting of chapter three has been corrected. Chapter four is in it's rightful place. Sorry for the mistake.

part six

1600 hours

Saturday

24 Dec 2005

A couple of hours later Henry and Tory came banging through the door. They had a few packages with them that they were going to put under the tree. Mac went to greet them.

"Did you have a good time?" she asked.

"It was nice Mac. Tory took me down to the mall where we walked around looking at some of the historical sites that I've read about. Then she dragged me into a couple of stores to do some last minute shopping. Finally he saw an action packed adventure movie." he replied.

"Did she feed you Henry?" she laughed. Tory had kept him occupied.

"Mom!" Tory whined. "You know someone as large as Henry can't go more than a few hours without eating. We ate before we went shopping and while we watched the movie."

"I could go for some cookies and milk Mac." he smiled. He could smell the fresh aroma of baked cookies.

Mac pulled a plate of cookies from where she stored them out of Tommy Frank's reach. She poured a couple glasses of milk as they sat down to talk some more.

"Where's Dad, Mom?" asked Tory. She had seen his car in the driveway besides Henry's.

"He was playing with Tommy. He doesn't like being away from him for more than a few days." she replied.

"That's a real beauty Mac, his car I mean. You don't see too many vintage cars in excellent condition." he commented.

"I think it's his security blanket. He had it stolen a few years ago. It was stripped down to the frame. It cost him over a hundred thousand to restore it." Mac answered shaking her head.

"Wasn't that about the time you bought your corvette?" smiled Tory. She wanted Mac to tell Henry the story of how she came to buy her car.

"You have a corvette?" he asked in surprise.

"Best one they ever made. It's a red 99 corvette convertible." she replied.

"No wonder why Tory wasn't impress when I picked her up in mine." he replied.

"Tell him Mom!" Tory demanded.

Mac smiled. It was an amusing story.

"I used to drive an old jeep. To me, a car was a means to get from point A to point B. How I got there wasn't important. Anyways after Harm's corvette was stolen ... he needed to go get a new car.

He wanted me to go with him. I was surprised that he asked me to go with him. He was dating another woman at the time. I thought he would want to take her, you know ... to get her opinion.

But he told me that if he took his girlfriend, he might as well give her a ring. I asked him if that meant that he was going to give me a ring instead of her. He looked stunned and couldn't talk for a few minutes.

Finally he said 'just grab your purse and cover Mac.' I think he was so shaken for the rest of the day. He bought a SUV. That's when I bought the corvette. All I could think of when I go back to work was 'WOW!'

It was a such a great driving experience. I never knew driving could be so fun. Harm had a despondent look on his face for the next month every time he saw me driving my corvette." smiled Mac.

She felt his nearness before she heard him. "Did I hear my name being used in vain." Harm bent over and started nibbling on her neck before taking her mouth with his own. They shared a short passionate kiss.

Henry was a little shocked to see a kiss like that. He didn't think older people kiss like that. Tory smiled with satisfaction to see the love demonstrated between them. She hoped to have that kind of love some day.

"We have company Harm." smiled Mac after Harm pulled away.

Henry was taken aback when he saw Harm. It was like looking at an older version of himself. He looked at Tory as if to ask is he?

Tory whispered back "Maybe."

"Harm, I would like you to meet Tory's friend ... Henry Shonke." Mac introduced solemnly.

It was all becoming very clear to Harm the discussion he had with Mac earlier. He now knew why Mac wanted to know about his sexual history with Diane and why Tory would want to talk to him about Diane.

Could it be that Henry was his son? He did look like him. There were some differences, his nose was shaped differently. His lips were thinner. But overall they had the same look.

Henry stood up to shake Harm's hand. Harm almost whistled at the size of him. Henry was a couple of inches taller and a good twenty pounds heavier. What have they been feeding this kid?

"So you must be Diane's kid." stated Harm. It was more a statement rather than a question. "I knew your mother."

"I guess you did Sir." Henry replied. Had he finally met his father? Tory had told him Harm had been an aviator. His father was supposed to have been an aviator.


	7. Chapter 7

_**If Only the Dead Could Talk**_

rooster dawn

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Spoiler: None

Pairing: Harm/Mac, Victoria/Henry

Alternate Universe

Summary: When the future meets the past, strange things happen. The son of a lost love of Harm meets Mac's daughter at Annapolis with interesting results.

Author's note: This is a continuing story of an "A Special Child" Mac's daughter, given up at birth, reunited with Mac, is now attending Annapolis.

part seven

1800 hours

Saturday

24 Dec 2005

They talked for an hour before Mac told everyone to go upstairs and get ready for dinner. They were having company tonight and she wanted everything to go right. There was a knock at the door.

"Sturgis! What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town." greeted Mac as she invited him in.

"I was, but I got back in an hour ago. I called Bud. He said they were coming over here for dinner. I hope you don't mind that I sort of invited myself." he hemmed and hawed.

"Of course not Sturgis. You know you're welcome to stop by anytime. Dinner is going to be ready in a half hour. Why don't you go sit down in the family room. Harm will be down in a few minutes. I'll get you a beer." ordered Mac.

"How was his trip?" he asked.

"It was long and tiring. He's glad to be back. Tory brought back a friend with her." Mac replied smiling.

"A boy? When did she find the time to find a boy? I didn't know which way I was going for two years. Even then I was too busy trying to get through all the hard work to have much fun." he replied.

"Harm said pretty much the same thing. But like I told him Tory is more intelligent and gifted. She's also very beautiful. I know from personal experiences that it doesn't take much to attract a squid's attention." she explained.

"How did they meet?" he asked.

"She literally ran into him and landed on her six. He gave her a fish story about her looking like someone he knew. He took her sailing." she replied further.

"Sounds like something Harm would have done back then. In fact now that I remember he and Diane use to go sailing every week the last year when the weather was nice." he mused.

"Interesting Sturgis. Here's another tidbit for you. Her young man wants to be a pilot and fly jets. He's very excited to talk to Harm about it. They spent a half hour looking through Harm's academy photo album.

It seems Sturgis that you knew his mother. If you're game, we won't tell you his full name. I think you will be able to figure out who his mother is." she almost said was, but that would have made it too easy for him.

Ten minutes later Bud and his family arrived along with Jen and Jason. AJ and Jimmy K took off when they got in the house searching out little Tommy Frank. Bud sat the babies down in the playpen.

"Hi Mac, thank you for inviting us to dinner. With four little ones it's hard to plan a dinner for family and friends." greeted Harriet.

"We're happy to do it Harriet. With Tory home it's not hard to get everything done. She loves to cook." smiled Mac.

Speaking of Tory, where is her friend? I scrounged around through some old albums and found some photos I think he'll be interested in." chirped Bud.

"How in the world did Tory find the son of someone Bud and Harm both knew over ten years ago? It doesn't seem possible." asked Harriet excitedly.

"She literally ran into him and went flying. He's a pretty big boy. Think someone about the sized of Harm and Keeter put together. They are upstairs looking through Harm's old academy photos.

Harm has a lot of photos of Diane as you can imagine. They also have been discussing flying jets. He wants to be a pilot. It's something he and Tory have in common." replied Mac.

Jen and Jason also thanked Mac for inviting them to dinner. They both appreciated the idea that they were part of the Jag extended family and were always included whenever some special event occurred to one of its members.

Harm heard noises coming from the family room. He went out and greeted everyone and thanked them for coming. He saw Bud walking over to Sturgis to talk to him. He quickly walked over to tell Bud not to tell Sturgis who Henry was.

"Hi guys, thanks for coming. Bud, Sturgis doesn't know Tory's boyfriend. He's suppose to guess who his mother is. So don't tell him." he ordered.

"Mac, we're going to eat in ten minutes. Can you get everyone and have them take a seat in the dining room. I want everyone settled."

Jen went up the stairs to get Tory and Henry while Harriet went after the young ones. The door was open when Jen reached Tory room. She saw them playfully looking through the album having fun.

"Dinner is ready guys!" she chirped.

They looked up at Jen before standing. Jen almost fainted when she saw Henry. He looked just like Harm. She couldn't believe it. How come Harm never told her he had a son? She thought they were close, at least as close as they could be considering he was an officer.

"Hi Jen! I'm happy to see you. Jen, I would like you meet a friend of mine from the Naval Academy. Jen Coates, this is Henry Schonke. His mother went to the Academy with Harm." greeted Tory.

"Hi Henry, you look like a certain officer I know." she began.

"Hi Jen, I guess that has been the topic of conversation here for the last few hours. We can't say for sure if it's true, but Tory has been gathering a lot of info that says it's a distinct possibility.

I have never known who my father was. My mother never told me before she died and my grandparents didn't want me to know either. I think it had to do my mother never marrying my father." he replied.

"Just my luck, the two most gorgeous men I know are unavailable. One is too old and the other is too young." grinned Jen.

"Let's go eat, I'm starving." chirped Tory.

They walked down the stairs to the dining room. Everyone was seated and talking up a storm. When Harriet saw Henry walk into the room behind Tory, her mouth stopped moving. She sat there stunned. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"What is it honey?" asked Bud.

It wasn't often she ever stopped talking when she had a head of steam going. Harriet didn't say anything. All she could do was point towards Henry. Bud turned to look. He too was surprise to see Henry.

The whole room looked towards Tory and Henry. They became very quiet waiting for someone to explain.

"What? He's just a friend." asked Tory wondering what was going on.

"Everyone, I would like you all to meet Tory's friend, Henry Schonke. His mother was a good friend of Harm's at the Academy.

Henry, this is Sturgis Turner. He knew your mother at the academy too. Here we have Bud Roberts and wife Harriet. Bud served two years on the Seahawk with your mother. He's brought some photos of your mother with him tonight.

And finally we have Jason Tiner, a newly anointed officer and Jennifer Coates, the lady who drives the General nuts." grinned Mac as she introduced everyone to Henry.

They whispered among themselves about how much Henry looked like Harm. He had to be his son, he just had to be. They quietly ate dinner and retired to the family room for dessert and coffee.

They finally got around to talking about the possibility of Harm being Henry's father. Harriet had been disappointed that he hadn't told anyone he had a son. Harm reassured everyone he never knew about Henry.

Mac pointed out they weren't one hundred percent sure Harm was the father. They still had to do DNA testing to confirm he was Henry's father. When they were done discussing that point Bud brought out his photos.

Tory got Harm's photo album. They all looked through the photos and reminisced about their friendship with Diane. Bud told Henry about her carefree personality. She loved having fun and playing jokes on anyone who took themselves too serious.

Sturgis mentioned that she learned that trait from Harm and Keeter. They were always cutting up when they attended the academy. There wasn't anything they wouldn't do to get a laugh. Diane fitted right in with them.

Many of their feats were legendary and stilled admired today for their creativity. Sturgis told them about some of them. Tory and Henry looked at Harm as to ask if it was true. Harm nodded his head to acknowledge it as being true.

Harm came out and told them that Sturgis bore the brunt of many of their pranks. Sturgis had come along when the academy was just beginning to accept blacks among their ranks. Sturgis was one of those guys who was too serious for his own good.

They needed to loosen him up if he wanted to be part of their group of friends. Their favorite was the bubblehead. Keeter had a special headwear made of clear plastic with holes for eating and breathing.

Sturgis had worn it for a week one time when he mistakenly crowed too loud that he wanted to be a submariner around too many jet jockeys. Tory's eyes lit up.

She and Henry had come across a large plastic bubble like contraption earlier today while they were looking for something in the garage. She winked to Henry who got up and retrieved it.

While Sturgis was busy talking Henry slipped it on Sturgis and fastened it shut. Everyone shared a laughed including Sturgis who remarked 'I wondered what happened to my bubblehead.'

**__**

THE END


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